St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-09-01
FARMERS AGAINST THE CENTRAL
VERMONT.
lSprinqfeld Republican

All VermOnters who cherish a grudge
against the Central Vermont railroad
and there are great many such
peOple-are preparing to make them
selves heard when the interstate COM
mission calls that corporation to ac
count at Rutland next Tuesday. The
farmers are especially stirred up. Not
only will they have Senator Edmunds
to represent them before the commits
sion, but the governor of Vermont, on
petition of the state grange, has ap-
pointed exhibited States District At
torney ,Haskins of BrattlebOrO for the
same purpose. The uprising against
the Central Vermont is something most
unusual and unexpected-sO unexpect-
ed indeed that the railroad will have
to abandon one line of defense ad
vanced in it's answer to the complaint
of the Boston and Albany against the
National Dispatch line, which is the
case in question, to the effect that no.
body along the line complained of the
alleged unreasonable and discriminate
ing rates. There is no doubt about
this now. The Green Mountain farm
ers only needed to be told that their
produce is taxed Il greater freight rate
from ST. Adams to Boston than their
Michigan competitors are from Detroit
to the same terminus, to become thor
oughly aroused. They are not given
to making a great noise over their
grievances, but they will in this case.
The plea of the Central Vermont is
thst it must have this through traffic
in order to live that local traffic alone
will not pay the interest on the bonded
debt and that the joint tariff over the
Central Vermont from Boston to St.
Adams is wholly different from that
over the National Dispatch line within
the meaning of the interstate law. But
the fact remains that like property is
transported over the Central Vermont
line from st. Adams at different rates,
which are greater for the shorter dis
lance included within the longer.
Now this discrimination against the
citizens of Vermont is nearly as old as
the Central Vermont railroad itself. 1t
has operated disastrOusly for the far
mers. The road, instead of bringing
them nearer their markets, has rela-
lively kept them further away. The
Republican some time ago pointed out
how agriculture in that state was de-
Ginning, how much unreasonable freight
rates had to do with this, and how lit
tie the war tariff had done for the in
dustry-a showing that was indignant
ly denied by such papers as the Boston
Journal. The Vermont grangers, how
ever, in their petition to the governor
before referred to, seem to confirm all
these statements. They say that farm
property has been and is now declin-
ing and that farmers are continuing to
move from the state. They further
declare that the main and almost only
argument advanced by Henry Clay
and Horace Greeley to show why far
mers should favor high tariff, was
that factories might be established and
home markets created and such has
not been the case in Vermont. They
claim that manufacturers have been
prevented from coming into the state
by these high and oppressive freight
rates. There is no doubt as to the de-
pressing influences of the Central YER
mont on industry and enterprise. The
people of that state have never been
able to work in reference to their mar
kets on an equal footing with the peo-
pie of most other states. 1t is to be
hoped that national tribunal will do
what no Vermont state tribunal ever
dared to .do-subject the Central Yer
mont to reasonable law. But in the
mean time it should not be overlooked
that the farmers of Vermont are be-
ginning to inquire what war tariff is
doing for them.